Pete
by mngurlstuckinva
Summary: Sequal to Gillian's shadow. Kat meets a boy named Pete.
1. Chapter 1

**Pete**

Author's note: This takes place 2 months after Gillian's Shadow, if you haven't read that please do so or you will be a little lost. Please let me know what you think. Also all spelling, grammatical, etc. errors are my own, if you notice any please inform me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I don't even own the computer I'm currently typing this on, so please don't try to sue me.

Summary: The new face at the Lightman Group brings in a new case.

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><p>Kathryn O'Riley was your normal everyday girl. She was 23, worked as a waitress and there was something more about her. She could read people. It was because of this talent that she also was working at the Lightman Group as of two months ago. She had started out because of an assignment for a class. While she was there she wound up helping them solve the case and was offered the job of an unpaid intern.<p>

Tonight Kat wasn't working at the Lightman Group though; she was at her other job, Denny's. It seemed like any other night. It started out crazy with the dinner crowd, but now that it was later on it was starting to slow down. She had just sat her last table of the night, a nice looking family, a couple in their late 30's with a boy who looked about 10. As she set the menus down on the table she noticed that there was something off about the boy.

She smiled at the family and said her normal opening, "Hi, I'm Kat and I'll be your server tonight."

The boy looked up at her, a huge smile lighting up his face, "Hi Kat, I'm Pete! What happened to your arm?" The boy asked, noticing the sling that she had around her arm.

She couldn't help but grin. She could tell from the boy's speech and his look that he had Down's syndrome. "Hi Pete. I hurt it." She said shrugging it off, in all reality Kat had been shot working on a case for the Lightman Group. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Can I get a glass of milk?"

As Kat was writing down his drink order, the father jumped in, "No! We'll all have water."

Noticing the disgust flash across the man's face Kat gave a slight nod saying, "I'll be right back with that." She couldn't help but wonder what was going on as she walked away from their table.

She was still within ear shot when she heard Pete's voice again, "Dad, why can't I have milk?"

Still listening to their conversation, she stopped at the server's station to grab a pitcher of water before going back to the table. She could hear the man's voice clearly through the almost empty restaurant. He was extremely angry, "Because, we all know that you're going to spill what you get, and I'm not cleaning it up!"

Kat couldn't believe her ears. She'd never heard someone talk to their child in such a tone. She especially couldn't imagine anyone talking to their special needs child like that. She couldn't resist, she went back to the kitchen. Returning to the table she held four glasses, one milk and three waters.

Struggling slightly because of her arm Kat set down a glass of water in front of each person, also placing the milk in front of Pete. The father noticing this shot her a look of contempt, barking, "I said no milk."

"It's no trouble really," Kat smiled, trying to hide the anger and disgust she really felt for the man. "It's on the house, and if anything happens I'll clean it up."

"You're damn right you will." He sneered.

Smiling again she pulled out her notepad and took their orders. Throughout the next hour when she wasn't serving the family she was observing them. Pete was a joyful boy even with his father's verbal abuse. The smile on Pete's face only faltered once when he accidentally spilled a drop of sauce onto his shirt.

After the family had paid and were getting ready to leave she approached the table again to collect their tab. She completely ignored the parents, focusing entirely on Pete she asked, "How was it?"

"It was great! Thanks Kat!" He beamed up at her.

"I'm glad to hear that." She let out a slight giggle, starting to clear the table.

Pete, glancing towards his parents then looking back up at her sadly said, "I have to go. I hope your arm gets better."

Smiling she waved as he left. Looking down she was unsurprised to find no tip.


	2. Chapter 2

sCH 2

Author's note: Sorry everyone, I know it's been a while. Slight writer's block, but I think I'm over it now. Hope you like this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I don't even own the computer I'm currently typing this on, so please don't try to sue me.

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><p>The next night found Kat sitting with Ria in a small bar not far from the Lightman Group. It had been a long day and the two had decided to go have a drink before going home for the night.<p>

As the waiter set a drink in front of Ria, he shot her a smile. Kat worked to stifle a giggle behind her drink, noticing how his blonde hair fell into his dilated eyes as he looked Ria up and down. Ria not even looking up at him, took a long sip from her drink. The waiter licked his lips as he walked away.

After he was gone Kat couldn't hold in her laughter any longer. Looking up at Kat as if she'd suddenly lost her mind Ria asked, "What's so funny?"

Kat was still unable to answer for a few seconds, finally catching her breath long enough she answered, "For someone who is able to read people, you certainly don't pay much attention."

Confusion crossing her features, "What are you talking about?"

"If that waiter was any more into you he would have attacked you."

Her eyes widening suddenly, Ria's mouth dropped open, "What?"

Picking up her drink Kat shook her head before taking a long drink. "Ria, I have never had a guy look like that at me. I don't know how you could possibly have missed it."

A small smile played across Ria's lips as she shook her head, "No, I'm sure he was just being nice."

"Sure." Kat laughed as she shook her head again. "Why are you so sure he couldn't have possibly been into you? Would it be such a bad thing?"

"No, not bad." Ria said pausing to take a sip. "I just hate having to shoot people down."

"Shoot him down?" Kat asked incredulously looking back at him. He was gorgeous, tall, great body, dark blue eyes, and slightly shaggy blonde hair.

"Yeah." Ria said, another smile tugging at her lips.

"Why on Earth would you shoot him down?"

"Because… I'm already seeing someone." Ria smiled, picking up her drink again.

"What! Ria, why didn't you say anything! That's great!"

"It's a new thing. I didn't want to tell anyone yet. I just want to see how things will work out."

"Well I'm so happy for you!" Kat beamed up at her friend.

"So, how are things going in that department for you?" Ria asked, desperately wanting to get the attention off of herself.

"Well working two jobs and going to school leaves very little time for anything else." Kat said looking sadly into her glass.

"I can understand." Ria, reading her face wasn't sure what to make of the sadness. Deciding to change subjects she quickly asked, "So how is the other job going?"

"It's ok." Kat smiled, "I have never been so thankful to have tips in my life. You have no idea how much it helps out."

"Oh you'd be surprised," Ria chuckled, "I've done my time waiting tables."

Kat slowly sipped her drink as she thought. "Well I should say it's great when you get tips. I got stiffed last night. This table was just horrible."

"What happened?"

Kat quickly retold the story of what happened the night before with Pete as Ria listened intently. Seeing the same reaction on Ria's face that she'd felt the night before Kat finished. "He just looked so sad when he said he had to leave. I wanted to do something so badly, but there was nothing I could do."

Ria continued to shake her head, "I hate people who like that. I don't understand how people can be so cruel. He may not have been touching his son, but words can be just as bad."

"I've never heard someone talk to their child like that." Kat sighed looking up as the door to the bar opened. Shocked, Kat almost dropped her drink as she saw a boy walk in. "Oh my God!"

"What? Kat what is it?" Ria asked, craning her neck but still unable to see the door from her angle.

Kat still not taking her eyes from the door quickly got up, "It's Pete!"


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3

A/N. Ok guys I know it's been a little while, but I'm really trying. Please read and review. I need to know if I should keep going on this or just give it up as a lost cause.

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><p>Pushing her way through the small crowd, almost managing to get a drink spilled on her, Kat rushed to Pete. The boy smiled the moment he saw her as if she was a friend he'd know all his life.<p>

"Pete what are you doing here?" she asked, kneeling down to his level.

He shrugged, "My dad kicked me out of the car." He replied nonchalantly, like this happened all the time.

Taken aback Kat rose to her feet, "He kicked you out of the car?"

"Yeah, he said I was too loud. I was just singing with the radio." He shrugged again as Ria walked up to the pair, still looking confused. He saw her approach and smiled up at her, "Hi I'm Pete. Who are you?"

She plastered the best smile she could muster on her face and said, "Hi Pete, I'm Ria. I work with Kat."

"Oh, you're a waitress too!" He said excitedly, obviously thinking it was much more glamorous than it really was.

She let out a small laugh and answered, "No we work together somewhere else."

"Oh." Sounding slightly disappointed, he looked down studying his shoes.

Ria took the time to address Kat, "Um don't you think we should get him out of here. This place isn't exactly the best place for a kid."

Hearing this Kat nodded, and Pete looked up, "I'm not a kid!" He said indignantly, "I'm 10."

Kat knelt down again. "I know that Pete, she's not saying it like that, it's just that you're supposed to be a little older to be in a place like this."

"Ok," he shrugged. "So where are we going?"

Kat looked up at Ria, not knowing exactly what to do herself. Sighing Kat more asked than stated, "We are only a block from the office; I guess we could take him there."

"I'll call Gillian." Ria responded pulling out her cell as Kat took Pete's hand and led him out of the bar.

As they approached the building Kat saw that the light was still on in Gillian's office. She breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't left yet, knowing that Gillian would know what to do. At least that was what Kat was hoping.

Kat gently led Pete through the door and through the building. He looked around with interest at the décor. His look mirrored Kat's the first time that she'd walked through the building. As they kept walking Kat noticed how quiet it really was. The only sound in the building was the click of Kat and Ria's heals, the squeak of Pete's sneakers, and the gentle hum of the air conditioning.

Stopping in front of Gillian's door Kat knocked and let herself in. Gillian was sitting behind her desk, apparently waiting for them. She quickly got out of her chair and made her way over to them, smiling at Pete. "Hi, you must be Pete. Kat has told me about you. I'm Gillian."

Pete beamed up at her and stuck out his hand, "Hi Gillian."

Gillian tried to stifle a laugh as she shook the boy's hand. "So Pete, I heard these girls picked you up tonight."

"Yeah!" He said excitedly.

"What were you doing there?" Gillian asked, smiling at his enthusiasm, even though she was worried about his situation.

"Dad kicked me out of the car." He answered a little sadly.

"Why would he do that?" Gillian asked, leading him over to the couch, taking a soft chair herself. Kat sat next to Pete on the couch, and Ria took a chair next to the desk, distancing herself slightly from the group.

"He said I was singing too loud. He told me if I didn't stop that he would make me get out of the car. I really liked the song that was on and didn't want to stop. Then he stopped the car and told me to get out."

"Has he done that before?" Gillian asked, now very concerned.

"Yeah, he's done it a couple of times. The first time he came back for me, but the others I just had to get home myself."

"Where is home?"

"I don't know where it is from here. I've never been in this part of the city."

Gillian and Kat exchanged worried glances, "Do you know what your address is?"

He looked down at his shoes, confusion across his face, "I don't remember. Usually Dad will only drop me off a couple blocks away from home."

Gillian nodded and looked up at Kat, nodding her head again in the direction of the door. "Pete could you stay here for a minute while I talk to Kat and Ria?"

"Sure." He smiled again, curling into a ball on the couch.

Going into the hall so that they could still see him, but he couldn't hear, Kat asked, "Gillian what are we supposed to do? I can't just leave him alone."

"I know. He's going to have to stay with one of us tonight. Then in the morning we'll call child services."

"Ok. He's staying with me." Kat said, leaving no room for questioning. "I'm the one who found him. I'll bring him in tomorrow."

Gillian nodded, "Ok, we'll see you in the morning then."

Kat went back into the room and dropping down to her knee again said, "Ok Pete, how would you like to come home with me tonight?"

His eyes lit up, "Really? I get to stay with you?"

"Yep it's just you and me tonight. How's that sound?"

"Great!" He jumped up and threw his arms around her neck. Stopping suddenly and looking worried, "But won't Dad be mad?"

"We'll talk to him in the morning." She said leading him back out of the office.

Pete stopped when they came to Gillian and Ria. "Good night Ria." He said brightly, and putting his hand out to Gillian, "Good night Gillian."

She couldn't help but smile at him again. "Good night Pete. I'll see you tomorrow ok?"

"Ok." With that they left the building and made their way back to retrieve Kat's car.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4

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><p>When they arrived at Kat's apartment that night she was surprised to see how comfortable Pete seemed to be with the situation. He looked over everything with interest, occasionally asking questions. Suddenly spotting Kat's cat Jake trying to creep into the room Pete stopped in his tracks. Looking up at her with big eyes he asked, "You have a cat?"<p>

"Yeah I do. Is that ok?" She asked, as the realization dawned on her that he might be allergic.

"That's great! I always wanted an animal, but Dad said we couldn't have one." Pete said staring at Jake who stood frozen in the doorway watching the pair.

Kat just smiled as she moved over to Jake and gently picked him up. "This is Jake." She said bending down with him so that Pete could pet him. Jake squirmed slightly until Pete started stroking his fur.

"He's soft." Pete smiled up at her, continuing to stroke his fur.

Just as Jake started to relax and purr, there was a knock on the door. Jake jumped out of Kat's arms and Pete looked up at her quizzically, "Who is that?"

"I don't know." She answered, crossing the living room and moving to the door. She opened, revealing a smiling Eli Loker. "Hey Kat."

"Well hello to you too." She smiled back at him, moving to the side so that he could enter.

"Who is this?" Eli asked as he spotted Pete.

"This is Pete." Kat said.

Pete looked up at him, fear and a smile fighting a war across his face. Eli smiled down at him, "Hi Pete, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." He said, the smile winning out.

"He's going to be staying with me tonight."

"Oh," Eli said questioningly.

"Yes," Kat said walking over to Pete and putting her hands on his shoulders, "If you would excuse us for just a minute Eli. It's time we get this guy to bed."

Pete looked up at her with pleading eyes, "But Kat I don't want to go to bed."

"I know Buddy, but it's late." She said ushering him into the bedroom. "Make yourself comfortable." She said glancing back at Eli.

Eli sat down on the couch, a few seconds later he was visited by Jake. Stroking his fur he relaxed back into the couch. Kat came out of the bedroom a few minutes later smiling at the sight in front of her. "So I see you've found a friend."

"I guess I have." Loker laughed.

Sitting down on the chair next to him Kat asked, "So to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Oh, just wondered how thing were going. I haven't gotten to see you much lately."

Kat leaned over to pet Jake, "Eli you see me every day."

"I know, but I don't really get to talk to you. We haven't really talked since you got the job."

Kat blushed instantly remembering the kiss they'd shared the day she got the job. It was true they really hadn't had a chance to chat. They'd been assigned to different cases, and with class and another job she really had no time. "I'm sorry Eli. So what would you like to know?"

"Well how are your classes going?"

She thought about this for a second. "Well most of them are going great. It's only algebra that I can't stand. Although I couldn't do it in high school either. I'm just not a math girl."

He let out a small laugh, "Says the girl who's a waitress?"

"Yes. It doesn't take much for math skills to give people back change."

"Ok, so how is the other job going?"

"It's ok." Nervousness flashed across her face quickly, but enough for him to notice, "A little nerve wracking right now, they're laying off a bunch of people. I'm just worried that I'm going to be next."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Almost half the staff is gone."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I don't know what I'll do if that happens to me. It's not like I can live on the nonexistent income from the Lightman Group."

"I wish that there was something I could do."

"It's ok; I know there's nothing you can do." She smiled sadly, stroking Jake again.

Eli covered her hand with his, "Kat, will you answer a question for me?"

Reveling over the feeling of her hand in his she looked up into his eyes, "I'll try."

"Why won't you go out with me?"

She sighed, slipping her hand out from under his, "I'm sorry Eli, I'm just not ready."


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5

A\N. Hey guys, I know it's been a while, but I'm trying to keep it going. Work has gotten in the way for a while, but luckily/unluckily I'm off for a week, so I'm going to try to write some more this week. The last chapter just didn't feel complete to me, so this takes place directly after the last one. It's going to be pretty sappy, so bare with me. I hope you like it as much as I do.

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><p>Kat got up from her seat, walking across the room to the French doors. She couldn't bear to look him in the eyes.<p>

Eli hung his head in defeat, not believing that she said it to him yet again, "You're not ready."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not." She said looking out, unconsciously wrapping her arms around herself.

Eli got up and walked over to her, stopping behind her, "Kat I'm not asking you to marry me. I'm only asking you for a chance."

Kat shook her head, not saying a word. Eli, afraid of upsetting her more, didn't move, didn't say anything, until he saw her tears in the reflection of the glass. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder, unsure of what to do. The tears silently rolling down her cheeks made his heart break. He'd never seen her like this, scared, broken. He couldn't help himself any longer; he pulled her into an embrace letting her cry into his shirt. After a moment she raised her head looking up into his eyes. He stroked her cheek, gently saying, "Please Kat, just give me a chance."

Kat searched his eyes, seeing something she'd never seen there before. Something she could only hope would make this time different. She smiled slightly, feeling that she could trust him she leaned in, gently touching her lips to his in a chaste kiss. He was momentarily taken aback. He couldn't believe that she was actually kissing him, and he instantly responded to her, deepening the kiss. She felt a rush of excitement and happiness flood through her as she felt him respond. He didn't want to take it too far, so he backed away after a minute.

Kat laid her head back on his shoulder, reveling in the feeling of being in his arms. Eli brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. After a moment he finally asked the question he'd wanted to for some time, "Kat, what happened?"

Kat sighed, looking up at him. He could see the fear in her eyes, but he hoped that she could get past it. She looked down biting her lip nervously for a moment, and then started her story, "Last year… was a hard year for me."

After telling Eli the same story she'd told Gillian and Ria a few weeks ago she was afraid to look back up at him, unsure of what she'd see when she did. Knowing how hard it must have been for her to tell him everything he was truly amazed by her honesty. He saw that she still hadn't looked him in the eyes since the beginning of the story and was starting to worry. He placed his hand underneath her chin, making her look at him. "Thank you," He whispered gently, kissing her again.

"I know I've never had a… relationship before, but do you know now why it's so hard for me?" She asked burying her head back into his neck.

"I do and I don't want to pressure you into anything, but I'm still not going to stop asking you." He said with a slight smile.

She looked up again, catching the smile on his lips, "Ok how about this, I'll go out with you… but not until Gillian and Cal's wedding."

He nodded, "So I'll be your date for the wedding."

"Exactly, that will give me a little time, and you still get what you want." She smiled up at him.

"I can handle that." He said kissing her again.

Suddenly they heard a door open and Pete stumbled out in his pajamas, "Kat… I can't sleep."

Kat looks up at Eli again, he nods and walks towards the door, "I'll see you in the morning."

She smiles, "Can't wait," and then turns to Pete, "Come on Buddy, let's get you to sleep."


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6

A/N: I know shock of all shocks, two chapter in one week! Like I said I'm stuck at home for a week, so hopefully this can continue. Please tell me how I'm doing.

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><p>Kat awoke the next morning to the sound of her alarm clock going off, but it sounded strangely as if it was in another room. Then hearing the click of a door opening and the sound becoming louder she realized that it was going off in another room. Sitting up it suddenly occurred to her why she'd been lying on her couch. Pete sheepishly walked around the chair and said, "Kat, is it time to get up?"<p>

She smiled up looking at his hair sticking up in all directions. "Yep, it's time to get up. How about some cereal for breakfast?" Kat asked, walking into the bedroom and turning off the alarm.

"Sure." Pete said happily, climbing onto one of the barstools in front of the breakfast nook.

"I don't have much to choose from." Kat said, walking back into the kitchen. Opening a cupboard she pulled out two boxes, "Looks like Honey Nut Cheerios, or Apple Jacks."

Pete thought for a second, "Apple Jacks please."

She poured him a bowl with milk, setting it in front of him she said, "Ok you go ahead and eat, and I'll jump into the shower quick."

"Ok." He responded with a mouth full of cereal.

A few minutes later, after they'd both had breakfast and gotten ready for the day they headed for the Lightman Group. As they walked into the building Pete again seemed amazed with the building. They passed the reception desk saying a quick hello to Heidi. Making their way to Gillian's office Kat knocked before opening the door, but not waiting for a response. Upon opening the door, the sight before her made Kat burst out laughing. Gillian was sitting on Cal's lap, they were making out like teenagers, not caring about anything else around them.

Gillian, suddenly realizing that they'd been caught quickly untangled herself from Cal. Walking behind her desk she straightened herself up, blushing furiously.

Reaching up to wipe Gillian's lipstick off of his lips Cal called out, "Oi, Kat, who's your little friend?"

"Oh sorry, Cal, this is my friend Pete." She said leading Pete into the room.

Pete, unsure if he should trust this man, stood unmoving next to Kat, murmuring a slight, "Hi."

Kat looked at him curiously, this was the first time she'd seen him as anything other than happy to meet anyone. She leaned down to Pete and whispered to him, "It's ok Pete, he's my boss. He's a good guy."

Pete still didn't seem so convinced of this, but stuck his hand out anyway and walked over to Cal.

Cal smiled, getting to his feet and accepting the handshake, "Nice to meet you Pete. Ok all," he said walking towards the door, "I've got a case calling me." Not waiting for a response, Cal walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Gillian finally regaining her composure, walked back over to the pair, "Well good morning Pete." She said kindly. "Did you have fun with Kat last night?"

"Yeah!" He said enthusiastically, "she took me shopping, we got new clothes, and a pair of Spiderman pajamas. Then we went out for pizza, she let me get my own with pepperoni. And when we got back to her place I met Eli."

Gillian's head shot up to look at Kat with the last statement. Kat added quickly, "He just came over to chat,", unable to hide the slight blush painting her cheeks. "We live in the same apartment complex."

Gillian smiled slightly catching the blush, "I see." Looking back down at Pete, "It sounds like you had a full night."

Kat glanced down at her watch, "Oh Gillian, can I leave Pete with you for a little while? I'm supposed to be in class in thirty minutes. It's only an hour."

"Sure," Gillian smiled at Pete, "I think we can handle it while you're gone." Gillian said walking towards her closet and pulling out a large box. "Here Pete, I've been holding onto this for a while, I think you should use it."

He stepped over to her, taking the lid off of the box he found that it was filled with coloring books and crayons. "Sweet!"

"Thanks again Gillian." Kat said walking towards the door, checking her watch again.

Two hours later Kat walked back through the doors of the Lightman Group. She headed straight for Gillian's office expecting her and Pete to still be there. As she opened the door she was surprised to find it completely empty. She crossed the hall to Cal's office, after knocking with no response she opened the door to find it the same way. Now confused she made her way to the lab. Seeing everyone in there before she opened the door she sighed in relief.

"Kat," Pete exclaimed, running over to her, "this stuff is so cool! Cal and Gillian were just showing me how they can see bad guys."

Gillian laughed slightly, "Well I was showing him, Cal was correcting me."

"Not correcting Love, teaching." He said leaning back in his chair.

Rolling her eyes at him she got up from her chair, "Well why don't you 'teach' Pete some more while I go tell Kat what we've learned."

"Love to." Cal said helping Pete claim the chair Gillian had just vacated.

Gillian shook her head and pulled Kat into the hallway, "Well, so far we don't have a lot to go on."

"Yeah," Kat sighed again, "that's the problem."

"Well I did get a last name from him, Smith, but you know as well as I do that there are a million Smiths out there."

"I know." Kat shook her head trying to recall anything about his parents that she could. "All that I can tell you about his parents is that they are in their late thirties. The mother is blonde and about my height, the father has dark hair and glasses."

"Well it's more than we had before."

"That's true. How about I start looking through the database, hopefully we can get a hit on something."

"We can only hope." Gillian said walking back into the lab, with Kat right behind her.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7

A/N: Can you believe it, three chapters in one week! I'm still pretty amazed at myself. Hopefully I keep going at this pace. Ok I know they're short, but hey it keeps me going right?

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><p>A few hours later Kat was more than annoyed. Staring at the screen her eyes kept going in and out of focus, going through the endless names, without success. Although with a name like Smith and a very limited description she didn't think that she would. Now thoroughly frustrated, she pushed away from her desk, deciding to take a break she walked into the break room. Letting out an irritated sigh she opened the refrigerator, only to find that someone had taken her last can of Diet Coke. Closing her eyes and shaking her head she slammed the door shut again.<p>

"Bad time?" she heard a familiar voice ask, making her jump. Turning to see Ria, looking a little surprised.

"You could say that." Kat said walking over to the coffee pot, pouring herself a cup.

"Well, can I guess you haven't found anything?" Ria asked, sitting down at one of the small tables.

"No, I've got nothing. Smith doesn't happen to be the easiest name to get a lead on." Kat replied, taking a seat across from Ria.

"Well I have something that may help." Ria sat back in her chair. "I found a Pete Smith… but he's dead."

"What?" Kat almost dropped her coffee.

"The only Pete Smith, from DC that I could find in the system was an infant that died ten years ago."

Kat sat back in her chair. She was floored. She didn't know where to start looking now. If the real Pete was dead, who was the boy that they had? "So where are we now?"

"That's a good question." Ria said getting up from the table. "I've got to run. I have an interview in a few minutes. I wish I could help more."

"I understand. Thanks for what you did." Kat said, not moving from her position. She watched as Ria left, still not sure what to do now.

Leaning her head back, she looked up at the ceiling for a minute as if the answer would suddenly be written there. Unfortunately it wasn't, so picking her head back up she noticed that the TV was on some local news channel. Looking at it for a moment she spotted something that she never imagined she'd see. This was her answer! As she watched, she saw the two people that she'd been looking for all afternoon right in front of her. Pete's parents were on the news. As she watched she saw that they were being taken in for armed robbery. This was it! It was exactly what she'd needed. Running out of the break room she didn't notice Loker coming in.

"Sorry." He said, bumping into her shoulder that was still wrapped up.

She didn't stop to say anything, she was too excited. She pulled him to her, crashing her lips to his in a full on kiss. Not stopping for a reaction, she ran out of the room, leaving a highly confused Loker in her wake. She didn't stop running until she reached Gillian's office. Not even bothering to knock she threw the door open. Seeing that Gillian was behind her desk, sorting through papers without Pete in sight Kat jumped into her story, "Pete's parents have just been arrested."

"What?" Gillian asked, setting down the paper that she'd been looking over.

"Pete's parents, they were just on the news. They were arrested for armed robbery. This is perfect!" Kat exclaimed, throwing herself into one of the chairs in front of Gillian's desk.

"I wouldn't exactly say perfect."

"Sorry I forgot to tell you why it is so perfect. Ria found out that 'Pete Smith' is actually dead."

Gillian looked at her curiously, "If Pete Smith is dead… who is in the lab with Cal?"

"That's why it's perfect. This gives us the opportunity to talk to his parents and find out who he really is."

"I have to admit, this does make things a lot easier."

"See it's perfect." Kat beamed up at her.

"Ok I'll call and see if we can get them in here for an interview. For now you better go see how Cal's doing. I know he's good with kids, but he might need a break." Gillian said picking up the phone.

Getting up without another word, Kat left the room closing the door behind her.

A little while later Loker walked through the halls, heading to Gillian's office. Knocking on the door, and receiving no response, he opened the door. Gillian immediately jumped away from Cal, blushing furiously, and muttering, "Does no one wait for a response anymore?"

"Ugh, it's like walking in on your parents." Eli groaned, walking fully into the room

"Oi, what was that?" Cal asked, walking over to Eli, studying his face, practically daring him to repeat what he said.

"Nothing," Eli countered quickly. "I just had some information that you might like to hear, concerning Pete."

"Well let's hear it then." Cal settled back into his chair.

"I found a boy that matches Pete's description in the missing person's database. It was from a few years ago. The boy was only two at the time, but it said that he could have Down's syndrome. At that age it's still hard to diagnose for sure. With when it was reported, it would make the boy Pete's age."

"Good work Loker," Gillian smiled, regaining her composure. "Where was this missing person's report filed?"

"Alexandria, Virginia, I figured it was close enough we could at least check it out."

"I suggest you gas up your car then." Cal said, getting up and patting him on the shoulder as he left the room. Poking his head back in he said, "Oi, why don't you take Kat with you. We'll look after Pete for a while."


	8. Chapter 8

Ch 8

A/N: OK everyone I'm not going to apologize for being sick but I am sorry for not making this chapter longer since I made you wait so long for it. I hope you like it. Only a few chapters left now.

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><p>The trip from DC to Alexandria should have only taken fifteen minutes. Unfortunately for Kat and Eli, they hadn't bothered to check the time before getting into the car. Now after being stuck in rush hour traffic for an hour, Kat sighed, looking at the clock again.<p>

Eli glanced over at her, putting his hand on her arm, "Everything ok?"

"Not really." She sighed again. "I should never have agreed to this."

Eli took his hand away quickly looking hurt, "I'm sorry."

"No, no I didn't mean it like that," she said quickly, putting her hand on his knee. "I just mean that now I have to call in to my other job. I'm just worried. You know, with all the layoffs that have been going on there."

He placed his hand over hers intertwining his fingers with hers, rubbing his thumb over hers gently, calmingly, "I understand, but it's not like you could make it there right now anyway. It's going to take us at least another hour to get back to the city, and that's if we leave now."

"I know." She sighed pulling her cell out of her pocket. Taking a deep breath she dialed the number and waited. "Hey Kristi, can I talk to Mike for a second," she asked quickly. She waited, holding her breath until he answered, "Hey Mike, it's Kat. I'm sorry I'm not going to be able to make it in tonight. I'm stuck at my other job." She listened nodding occasionally, saying "Ok, I know," over and over. Finally she said, "I'm sorry Mike. I'll be by later to pick up my check." Hanging up she gave another sigh.

Eli looked over at her, her head was still down, looking at her phone and tears were filling her eyes. "Not good I take it?"

She shook her head, the tears spilling over onto her cheeks, "Well," she croaked, "at least I will have a little more time to myself now." She laughed humorlessly.

He pulled her to him letting her head rest on his shoulder, not saying anything, but rubbing her back gently.

A half an hour later Kat had managed to pull herself together. Looking at the clock again she clicked on the radio. "There's a big back up on the George Washington tonight. A tractor-trailer overturned causing a four lane back up. If you have any plans make sure to plan in at least an extra hour." Eli reached over, turning it back off. He watched as Kat pulled her knees to her chest and stared out the window.

Taking her hand, she looked over at him. "Kat, about the other night, I know I didn't say much, but I just wanted you to know, I would never hurt you."

She smiled leaning her head back on his shoulder. "Thank you," she said kissing him on the cheek and relaxing back.

Another few minutes passed in peace as they stayed at a standstill. Suddenly breaking the quiet, Kat's cell started going off. Looking at the screen she saw that it was Gillian. "Hey Gillian," she answered, clicking it over to speaker phone.

"Hey Kat," Gillian said sounding serious." I know you're not going to want to hear this Kat, but I really think that we need to call child services. It's been more than twenty-four hours."

"I can't just leave him Gil, I can't," she said adamantly. "It's not fair to him. He's already had two people walk out of his life without an explanation. I'm not going to do that to him again."

"I'm not asking you to. I'm just saying that the authorities need to be notified."

"You and I both know that the second we call them that's it, he's gone. I can't do that."

"Kat I realize that, but…"

Cutting her off, "Please Gil, just give me until tonight. Let me talk to this woman and see where it gets us. If we don't get anything than I will personally call ok?"

"Alright, I'll give you tonight. I'm going to take him home with me and Cal. We'll see you tomorrow. Call me if you find out anything."

"I will. Kat said hanging up the phone. Looking back over at Eli, "We have to get a lead Eli, we have to." taking his hand again.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch 9

A/N: OK guys I know please don't kill me, it's another short chapter, but this is what happens when you can't sleep and it's been rolling around in your head for a few days. Warning it's pretty intense.

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><p>A little while later they managed to make their way through traffic and to their destination. Knocking on the door of a light grey home they were greeted by a woman in here late thirties. She had blonde hair and bright blue eyes, the same as Pete's. Kat was the first to speak, "Hi, Mrs. Sigurd I'm Kat O'Riley and this is Eli Loker, from the Lightman Group. I called earlier. We think we have some information about your son."<p>

Excitement flitted over her features, but she was obviously fighting to contain it, as she smiled, "Oh yes, please, come in."

Kat and Eli stepped past her into the living room. Motioning for them to take a seat they did as requested, "Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked.

"No thank you." Kat replied taking a seat next to Eli on the couch.

"Can I just get a glass of water?" Eli asked with a smile.

"Coming right up." She said disappearing into the kitchen and coming back a minute later with three glasses of water. "Just in case you change your mind later." She winked at Kat setting down the glasses. "So you said you had information about my son?" she asked taking a sip from her glass. Kat watched as her hand shook slightly, giving away the nervousness she felt underneath her calm exterior.

"That's correct Mrs. Sigurd, but before that could we hear a little about how you lost your son?" Eli asked, picking up his glass.

"Please call me Donna," she smiled. "That's actually quite a long story. I'll start from the very beginning. My husband, pardon the cliché, was the love of my life. He was the only man for me. Don't get me wrong, he didn't start out that way, oh no. We met in college, at a party. At the time, he was something of a player, albeit badly. After being shot down by me time after time we became friends. Then after a while we became more. On graduation day he proposed. I still tear up just thinking about it.

Pausing she took another sip. "It was almost two years to the day when I found out I was pregnant. I have never seen a happier father to be in my entire life. I truly think he was happier than I was, but then again he wasn't carrying the baby," she laughed. "The day Andrew finally came into the world I thought Brian was going to burst from excitement. He was truly the best father you have ever seen. I know everyone says that, but everyone is. 'Prince Andrew the Great' he called him. I simply called him Drew my boy, my precious baby boy Drew.

"When Drew was about six month old we started noticing he didn't do things quite like the other babies. I said something to the doctors at his check up. They said they would keep an eye on him but couldn't do much at the time. So at the one year mark I said something again. They ran some tests, again they couldn't say much for sure. They had to wait until he was older but they thought he had Down's syndrome.

"When he was almost two Brian decided to take me out for our anniversary. He called a babysitter and took me out to dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant and to an actual stage show. He knew how much I loved the theatre and we hadn't been to a show since before Drew had been born. Well when we got home it was to the surprise of our lives. Our house was empty. There was no babysitter, no Drew, no electronics, no furniture, no appliances, and no signs of anything. I immediately called 911 but by that time it was too late, they couldn't do anything. All we could do was wait and hope.

"Two long years went by and suddenly one day out of the blue we got a call. A man called my husband saying we had exactly one hour to be at the Lincoln Memorial if we ever wanted to see Drew alive again. We didn't even stop to think. We jumped into the car and got onto the George Washington. There were two cars that were racing but Brian wasn't paying too much attention to them. The first car zipped around us no problem, but here wasn't enough room for the other. It hit our front bumper with enough force it slammed us into the center divider. We ricochet off and slammed into another car with Brian taking the full force of the hit." She took another sip, tears filling her eyes, her voice thickening, "he was dead on impact." She paused swallowing hard. "I haven't heard anything about Drew since."

Wiping a tear from her own eye Kat pulled a picture from her pocket, "Donna, I know he's grown a bit since you've last seen him, but is this Drew?"


	10. Chapter 10

Ch 10

A.N- Hey guys, I know it's been a while, but I wanted you to know that I haven't given up on this yet. I've just had a little trouble formulating what I wanted to happen. So just to prove that I'm still going on this I'm giving you yet another small chapter.

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><p>With a shaky hand Donna took the picture from Kat. Tracing a finger over the picture a small smile appeared on her lips and a tear rolled down her cheek. "He looks so much like Brian. I would know that face anywhere."<p>

Kat broke out into a huge smile, "Would you like to see your son?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Donna beamed, standing and following Kat and Eli to the door.

…

Back in DC Gillian and Cal had just pulled into his driveway. The entire drive Pete had been completely silent. So much so that Cal had to look back a few times to tell himself that the boy was still there. Pete was perfectly content to simply watch the buildings fly past his window as he listened to Gillian and Cal's light banter about the radio.

Walking through the door Cal was surprised to hear no sounds coming from inside the house.

"Shouldn't Emily be home?" Gillian asked, obviously curious about the lack of noise as well.

"In here." Came a voice from the kitchen.

Rounding the doorway Cal sniffed in mock disgust taking in the sight of his daughter. She was perched on the counter with a cup of chocolate pudding in one hand, the spoon sticking out of her mouth, and a trashy romance novel open in the other. Gillian laughed following him into the room with Pete trailing behind her.

Cal turned to Gillian, "See what you've done to her. A bad influence you've been."

"Can I help it if my bad habits rub off on her?"

"'Course you can Love. You stop doing it, she stops doing it. Easy as that." Cal said walking over to Emily, taking the spoon from her mouth.

"Sorry Dad I'm afraid it's too late for that. I'm already hooked." Emily said closing the book, noticing Pete for the first time, "Who's your friend?"

"Oh sorry about that Love, guess I should make some introductions. Emily this here's Pete. Pete this is my daughter Emily."

She stuck out her hand to shake his, "Nice to meet you Pete."

Blushing he mumbled a hello looking at his feet.

"Are you hungry?" she asked jumping down from the counter.

He shrugged looking back up at her.

"Come on." She said taking his hand and leading him to the refrigerator. "You and I can make dinner and let my dad and Gillian relax for a little while.

"Ok." He said brightly. Not noticing or caring as Gillian and Cal slipped out of the room.

…..

A little while later they were all seated at the kitchen table, munching happily. Conversation was light between them. Pete hadn't said much during dinner, he seemed to be watching the trio as they talked and ate. He suddenly looked at Emily quizzically, "Emily, why do you call your mom Gillian instead of Mom?"

Emily smiled, "Because she's not my mom. She's my dad's fiancé."

He looked at Cal, now even more confused, "What's a fiancé?"

Cal chuckled, "It means that I asked her to marry me and she said yes, but we aren't married yet."

"Oh." Pete said, choosing to remain silent for a few minutes, seemingly thinking the situation over. Suddenly he looked up from his plate at Gillian, "Do you love him?"

Gillian smiled, "Yes, I love him very much."

"Then why aren't you married?" He asked, in true kid fashion.

"Because we just told each other very recently that we both love each other. We wanted to wait for a little while before we got married."

"But if you love each other, shouldn't you be married?"

"It doesn't always work like that." Cal intercepted.

Pete stayed quiet for another moment. Looking back at Cal he asked, "When are you getting married?"

"In a few weeks."

"Can I come?" Pete asked enthusiastically.

"Sure, we'd love to have you there." Gillian smiled at the way his eyes lit up.

Content, Pete remained silent for the remainder of the meal, with a smile permanently on his face.

…..


	11. Chapter 11

**Ch 11**

A/N: Hey guys I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to update. I promise I'm not going to give up on this story though. There will be two more chapters to go, that I will hopefully be able to get you soon.

….

Later that evening Cal, Gillian, Emily and Pete were sitting in the living room watching a movie. Gillian and Cal were cuddling on the couch, while Pete was curled up in a chair with Emily sitting on the floor in front of him. Emily had a bowl of popcorn on her lap which Pete periodically took from, never taking his eyes off of the TV.

A knock on the door interrupted the quiet atmosphere of the evening, causing Emily to almost spill the popcorn in an attempt to get up. Opening the door she saw Kat and Loker with a woman she didn't recognize. "Dad," she called, walking back into the living room, "Gillian, I think it's for you two."

Disentangling themselves from one another, they rose from the couch and made their way to the door. Seeing the fear and excitement on Kat and Loker's face, Gillian and Cal walked outside closing the door behind them. Kat was the first to break the awkward silence, "Gillian, Cal, I would like you to meet Donna Sigurd. She's Pete's mother."

Looking quickly at each other than back at Donna, Cal asked, "And how exactly do we know that she's really his mum?"

"This is a picture of Brian, his father," Loker handed a photo to Cal. "Their son was stolen from their home when he was two."

Cal looked down at the photo, and then handed it to Gillian. She looked at it for a second then nodded, "Please come in, I'm sure you'd like to meet your son."

Walking back through the door all five of them stood in the living room. Looking up from the TV Emily could tell something was going on. "Um, I'm just going to go… finish some homework," she said turning off the TV and going to the stairs.

Kat went over to the chair that Pete was sitting in and gently perched on the arm, "Pete we need to talk to you."

"Ok," he said happily.

Squatting down on the other side Gillian said, "Pete, we'd like you to meet Donna."

"Hi," she said unsure of what to say.

Extending his hand he walked over to her, "Hi Donna, I'm Pete. Nice to meet you." She grinned, accepting his hand. Then sitting back down between Kat and Gillian he looked to both of them, waiting for them to start.

"Pete," Kat said, still unsure of how she was going to do what she knew had to be done, "Your mom and dad, the people who took care of you, they weren't nice people were they?" She said more as a statement than a question.

Pete shook his head and his eyes got big, "No, they're mean!"

"Well Donna here really wants you to come and live with her." Kat said brightly.

Pete seemed to think hard about this for a moment, "But I don't want to live with her. I want to live with you."

Closing her eyes for a second and taking a steadying breath, on the verge of tears Kat continued, "I know Buddy, but you can't." Kat swallowed hard, forcing her emotions back down, "See Donna is really lonely and she has this great big house all to herself. She's always wanted someone to share it with and I thought that you would be the perfect person to help her out."

Pete stayed quiet for another moment, then looking up to Donna asked, "Are you going to hurt me?"

"I promise I will never hurt you." She said kneeling down in front of him.

He thought for another minute, "Are you going to yell at me?"

"I won't yell at you."

Pete seemed to study her, and then leaning forward asked in a whisper, "Can I have chocolate milk?"

All five of the adults burst out laughing, finally regaining her composure, Donna said, "You can have chocolate milk every day if you want it."

Pete shrugged, "Ok, when can we go home?"

….

Later that night after Kat had taken Donna and Pete back to her place to pick up his things she was sitting on the couch crying. Suddenly she heard a knock on her door; wiping her eyes quickly she crossed over to it. Opening it she saw Gillian standing in front of her with a container in her hand. "Hey," Kat said, her voice still thick with tears, "come on in."

"How are you holding up?" Gillian asked walking through the door.

"I'm ok." Kat said closing the door and motioning for Gillian to sit. Gillian chose a place on the couch and Kat sat on the other end.

"Here," Gillian handed her the container, "I know you and Loker were on the road for supper and with everything that happened I didn't think you would've had a chance to get anything."

"Thanks." Kat said smiling and setting it down on the coffee table.

Gillian gently put a hand on Kat's arm, forcing her to look up. "Kat, I know it's really hard but you have to remember, Pete is where he's supposed to be. He's back with his mom who hasn't seen him in eight years. That little boy was ripped away from her, and now she has a chance to be with him again. It's a great thing you did for both of them."

"I know, I should be really happy for them but I'm going to miss that little guy so much. I know I didn't know him very long but he really got to me, you know. He gets under your skin and you can't help but protect him." Kat shrugged, tears starting to spill over her cheeks again.

"I know," Gillian said pulling her into a hug, "but you did protect him. You protected him better than anyone else has in eight years. You saved him when his supposed family walked out on him. You took him in without question. Then you even found the one person who has been waiting for him to come back into their life. Kat, you did exactly what you needed to do."

"I know, but it still hurts." Kat said now openly sobbing.

"I know," Gillian whispered holding her in her arms, "I know.


	12. Chapter 12

**Ch 12**

**A/N:** See, I'm finally making head way, yay! Okay, so I know I could technically end it here, but there will be one more chapter. Hopefully it will be in the next few days, but I make no promises. Warning- this chapter is much darker, but hopefully you like it.

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><p>Kat walked into the lab the next morning, noticing three figures already illuminated in the cube. One being Ben, who was standing as if he was a statue in one corner looking to the couple who were seated at the table. Looking closer she recognized the pair as Pete's "parents", Gene and Betsy Smith. The man was slouching in his chair with his arms crossed in front of him, a permanent scowl on his face, his jaw set, and his dark eyes, almost black behind his glasses, cold. The woman, looked much more nervous. Her eyes kept glancing from her husband to Ben, her foot was tapping a fast rhythm on the floor and she was sucking on her lip.<p>

Kat tore her gaze away from the cube momentarily as she walked up to Eli who was sitting in front of the large computer monitors, and Gillian standing next to him her arms crossed in front of her studying the couple. "So, how are we doing this?" Kat asked, not even wasting time with the customary morning salutations.

Gillian looked at her, her face partially in shadow so that Kat couldn't see her eyes, "That's up to you. I would like you to do the interview, but if you would like one of us with you…"

Kat nodded, glancing back up to the couple. Fear coursed through her veins at the thought of going into that cube, rightly so after her last encounter with a known criminal landed her in the hospital with a gunshot wound. Taking a deep breath and sighing, she steeled herself, "I'll do it." She turned on her heel without a look back at Gillian or Eli, but feeling their eyes boring holes into her.

Taking another steadying breath before she opened the door to the cube, knowing that once she was in there she couldn't show the fear, she opened the door and took a seat in front of the couple. The man looked up at her as she sat down, scoffing, "You've got to be shitting me."

"Excuse me?" Kat asked, silently noticing Ben taking the few steps across the cube to stand behind her.

"You're that waitress. The nosy one." He shifted in his chair.

"You're right Mr. Smith. I'm Kat, I was a waitress, but I also work here at the Lightman Group."

Scoffing again he remained silent, his eyes glued to a scratch in the metal of the table in front of him.

"I would like to ask you some questions about a boy that we believe that you had living with you." Kat said, watching their response. The woman looked anywhere but at Kat, while the man looked straight at her, daring her to ask. "This boy was not your son. How did he come to live with you?" Not really expecting an answer she went on, "Okay, so we all know you took him, but the real question is why?" She asked, knowing that the man was still looking at her, but choosing not to look at him, instead she kept her eyes on the woman who was now on the verge of tears.

Kat shook her head, standing and walking back to the door, before she could open it she heard a voice from behind her, "Have you seen the boy?"

Her head shot back around, the woman was looking at her, almost pleading with her, "Yes." Kat answered not saying anything else walking back out of the cube.

"Gillian I can't get anything with that man in there. I know she's ready to crack, but with her husband in the room I can't get anything." Kat sighed walking back over to Gillian and Eli.

Nodding Gillian said, "You're right. Ok let's get him out of there and try again." Gillian walked into the cube, whispering to Ben, Kat watched as he took the larger man and led him out of the room. Gillian walked out behind them, not even giving the woman a glance. Giving Kat a gentle smile, "You're on."

Kat sighed again, steeling herself once more she walked into the cube again and sat across from the woman. She looked at the woman for a moment, waiting to see if she would speak first. Betsy Smith couldn't have been more than ten years older than Kat, but they couldn't have been more different. Her long blonde hair was feathered back, Farrah Fawcett style, a deep tan only seemed to accentuate the lines around her ice blue eyes. Her hand twitched as if an invisible cigarette was held in her fingers. Finally growing tired of the silence Kat asked, "So Betsy right?"

"Yes," she answered in a breathy voice just above a whisper.

"Betsy, how did this boy come to live with you?" Kat asked, folding her hands in front of her.

Her brow furrowing slightly she answered, "I don't know what you're talking about. Pete is my son."

"Okay, Pete may be your son, but the boy you had up until a few days ago, that boy was not your son."

"I... I don't know what you're talking about." She said nervously, raking a hand through her hair.

"I think you do." Kat said, opening the folder in front of her she pulled out a picture of a small boy, only two years old. It was a post mortem picture, the boy's small body laying in a pool of blood, his arms and legs pointing out at odd angles. Bruises covered one side of his face, and a shoe lace around his neck. "This is Pete Smith." Kat said placing the picture in front of her.

Betsy didn't look down at the picture for a few moments, choosing a spot on the window behind Kat, "I… I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"Betsy," Kat said lightly, finally getting the woman to look her in the eye, Kat pointed at the picture, "this is your son isn't it?"

Her eyes finally casting a glance down at the picture, she broke down into heavy sobs. Kat waited patiently, placing her hand over the inconsolable woman's. After a moment she regained her composure for a moment, "I can't believe he did this."

"Your husband did this."

Nodding, she sniffled, "I came home one night and he was gone." Shaking her head she sobbed again, "I was only gone for a few minutes. All he had to do was watch him for ten minutes. He said he woke up and wouldn't stop crying."

"What did you do?" Kat asked, taking the picture back, sliding it into the folder. "I couldn't look at him, at either of them. I called the cops."

"Then what?"

"They came and took Gene away. I don't know how he did it, but he convinced them that Pete fell out of his crib."

Kat tried to absorb this without showing anything, "So he didn't go to jail. What did you do when he got back to the house?"

Taking a shaky breath she continued, "I couldn't look at him for weeks. I knew I had to get out of there so I got a job. I was a babysitter at one of those agencies. It was my first job when I saw him. I swear that boy looked just like my Pete." Her eyes shone for a moment as she looked up at Kat, "I don't know what happened, I just… lost it. I called Gene and we just took him."

"They never found you? The people who were looking for their son?" Kat asked, anger boiling inside of her, but still not able to show anything.

Betsy smiled for the first time since she'd been in the cube, "I used my maiden name when I applied for the job."

"Okay, so you have this boy, everything is going okay, so why did you call his birth parents years later to give him back?"

"That wasn't my choice," she nearly spat, "when we learned that Pete… wasn't right Gene got mad. He said he wouldn't have a freak in the house so he called the parents and was going to give him back. When they never showed up Gene thought that they knew the boy wasn't right. That's when he started kicking him out of the car and trying to leave him places. He was determined to get rid of him any way possible."

"Weren't you worried about him? Did you ever try to stop him?"

"I was worried about him every day. The last time I tried to stop him I got this," she said pulling her hair back from her face Kat could see a deep purple bruise across her neck. "He tried to choke me for saying that we should go back and get him. When he didn't come home that night I got really worried. After Gene fell asleep I snuck out of the house. I went back to where we left him at, but he wasn't there. I pulled the gun out of the glove box that Gene always had there and walked into the gas station. I only wanted to ask them if they'd seen him, but they thought that I was trying to rob them. The cops came a few minutes later and Gene and I have been in jail since."

Kat leaned in and summoned all of her strength not to hurt the woman, instead saying, "Thank you Betsy. I really appreciate that you would talk to me." Getting up from her seat she walked over to the door, before she opened it she looked back at Betsy, "Just so you know, he is okay. I found him that night, he's back with his real mom." Her head snapped up to look at Kat as she walked out of the room.

Gillian waited outside, still standing next to Eli as they watched her walk back to them, "You did great." Gillian smiled, pulling her in for a hug.

Kat held onto her as if she were holding on for dear life. "I still don't know how I did it," she answered honestly.

"What matters is that you did. And that we have a full confession." Eli smiled up at the pair.

Shaking her head again Kat straightened up, "No what matters is that Pete is back where he should be. With the person that really loves him."


	13. Chapter 13

**Ch 13**

A/N: Hey guys, I know this took a lot longer than I ever imagined that it would. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through this whole time I appreciate it more than you would believe (you know who you are). Hopefully you like this last chapter and as always please read and review.

….

"Kat you look stunning." Eli said taking in her appearance. She had on a Kelly green sheer summer dress with gold accessories. Her hair was up in a messy bun with stray curls playing around her neck and shoulders. A pair of strappy wedges finished out the ensemble.

A slight blush painted her cheeks, "Thank you. And don't you look handsome. Ready to go?" She asked grabbing her purse and stepping outside.

"Sure."

After locking her door she held up her keys to him. "I take it you'd like to drive."

He smiled, "Only if you don't mind."

She shrugged and handed them over to him. After opening the door for her he went to the driver's side and started the car. They drove in silence for a few minutes before she looked over at him, curiosity written over her features, "I do have to ask one thing though."

"And what's that?" He asked, glancing her way for a moment.

"Why is it that we always wind up taking my car?"

"That would be because I don't own a car."

Her eyebrows shot up "You don't what?"

"I don't own a car." He stated simply.

"How is it that you don't own a car?" she asked incredulously.

"I've lived in a city my entire life, it's this crazy thing called a bus."

She turned in her seat to study him closer, "You're telling me you've never owned a car?"

"No, I've never owned a car."

"So what are you going to tell me next? That you don't have a driver's license?" She asked with a bit of fear.

"I have a driver's license. I got it back in high school. I just don't really see a point getting a car when there is perfectly good transportation for much cheaper."

Shaking her head she said, "Coming from a small town that's not a choice. Where I'm from if you don't have a car you don't go anywhere. I mean the closest movie theater was 15 miles away."

"Now that I can't imagine." He said pulling the car to a stop in front of a small church. "You ready for this?" He asked squeezing her hand.

She laughed lightly, "It's not like I've got anything to be worried about." As she got out of the car she added, "It's not like I'm getting married."

"True," he shrugged walking to her side of the car and offering his arm to her, "I'm the one who should be worried."

She shot him an exasperated look, "I hate to break it to you, but you're not getting married today either."

"No," he agreed, "I've just got to be the best man. I have to stand up for my boss, I have to remember the ring, and I have to give a speech at the reception. I'd rather be the groom, it's less stressful."

"Somehow I think that every groom in the world would disagree with you on that." She laughed lightly as they started towards the church.

"As long as you're marrying the right person I don't see why it should be stressful."

Reaching the doors of the church they stopped. She looked up at him and asked, "And how do you know it's the right person?"

He put his hand under her chin and stroked her cheek with his thumb, looking into her eyes he said just above a whisper, "You just know."

Blushing profusely she averted her eyes, "Ok isn't this getting to be a bit much for a first date?"

"You're right." He smiled, dropping his hand from her face. "I should probably get moving. I don't want to get fired when I'm not on the clock."

"Oh wait!" she stopped him with a hand on his arm. She dug through her purse for a second, emerging with a small velvet box. "If you don't want to get fired, you may want to remember the ring."

"Thanks," He said leaning down and kissing her cheek then turning into the church.

A moment later Ria walked up to her on the arm of a blond guy that Kat recognized as their waiter from the bar. "Hey Ria!" Kat said brightly.

"Kat," Ria smiled, "You remember Zack right?"

"Of course," Kat smiled knowingly at Ria, then shaking his hand, "Nice to meet you again."

"Oh yeah, you too." He said nervously, shaking her hand then dropping it.

"Come on, let's go find a seat." Ria interjected suddenly.

They chose an unoccupied bench fairly close to the front of the church. Zach, obviously trying to act like a gentleman let the ladies slide in first. Kat couldn't resist asking once they'd sat, "Ria," she whispered, "why didn't you tell me about him?"

"What about him?"

"Um, how about the fact that you're dating him?"

She shrugged, "We just started dating."

Kat looked at her with confusion, "Was this before or after he was our waiter?"

"Before." She said simply.

Kat looked back at her stunned, "But the other night you acted like he was just another sleazy guy that you had to blow off."

"Nothing was official then. We'd only been out a couple of times. I'd also warned him that we'd be coming in that night. I told him that I wasn't going to flirt with him then even if he tried."

Kat shook her head, "You lied to me."

"I did not. I said I was seeing someone, I just didn't say who it was."

Kat just continued to stare at Ria in awe, shaking her head, "You lied to me."

Ria shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh. Kat sat here silent for a minute, taking the time to take in her surroundings. There were very few people there. When Gillian had told her that they were going to keep it small, she'd still expected a few more. Without counting here couldn't have been more than twenty. The church was decorated beautifully but not overdone. Gillian had made a deal with Cal that as long as he agreed to a church wedding that they'd keep it simple. The most striking feature was that behind the alter there were two doors opened granting them a gorgeous view of the sun hanging low over the river.

As the sun touched down on the river the first strains of music floated into the church. Cal, basically bolting, made it to the front of the church and started to fidget with his jacket. Next came Eli with Emily on his arm. As they approached their bench Emily gave them an excited wave as Eli shot Kat a wink and a smirk. Once they'd reached the front, the music suddenly changed. Everyone got to their feet as Gillian entered the church.

Although every eye in the building was on her she had eyes for only one man. Kat also noted that Cal had stopped fidgeting and never tore his gaze from her's. A rare genuine smile was permanently etched across his face. As she made it to the front Cal immediately took her hand. Gillian handed the single red rose that she'd chosen in place of a bouquet to Emily and joined both of her hands with Cal's.

If anyone asked her later Kat couldn't have told them a single word that was said from that moment on. She was too busy in a fantasy world. She couldn't help imagining what she'd like to have at her own wedding. A small smile played across her lips as she realized that this was close to the perfect one. There were only a couple of things that she'd change. For one thing it would be a winter wedding. The only other thing that she could think that would make it perfect would be that the best man and the groom would be switched.

Realizing that she'd completely missed the entire ceremony she snapped out of her fantasy world as she heard Gillian saying I do.

The small crowd erupted in applause and cheers as Cal pulled Gillian to him capturing her lips. As they broke away Gillian's face was painted with a light blush as if they'd just been caught in her office again.

Instead of running back down the aisle, the couple exited through the doors in front. After a moment everyone else followed. There was a dance floor set out behind the church along with a buffet table, a DJ, and one long dining table. The whole area was covered with a sheer material so that you could still see the setting sun and soon the stars that would follow.

Kat and Ria found seats next to each other as there were no place cards. As Cal and Gillian joined them in the middle of the table she announced, "We knew that there wouldn't be many people joining us today so we decided to keep it casual. And since we feel that you all are already part of our family why should we make family sit at separate tables?"

A little while later, after everyone had gotten their fill of food and conversations had started to take the place of clanking dishes, the DJ made the announcement that it was time for the couple's first dance. Kat couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she instantly recognized the song, "Read my Mind" by Reba McEntire. She agreed that there wasn't a more perfect song for them as she listened to the first few lines.

Kat was lost in the music as she felt a tug on her skirt. Surprised, she turned to see who the culprit was. She broke out into a huge smile as she recognized those brown eyes. "Pete!" she jumped up and gave him a hug. Donna followed closely behind, "We couldn't make it to the ceremony, but wanted to be sure to make it to the reception. You all did so much to help us out, it was the least we could do.

"Really I'm just so happy that this little guy is being well taken care of." Kat said ruffling his hair gently. "Why don't you go grab something to eat? Just make sure you save a dance for me Buddy, ok?"

"Sure Kat! That's why I'm here." He smiled then followed his mom to the buffet table.

As the song changed she felt Eli's hand take her's and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "May I have this dance?"

"Of course. She answered as he pulled out her chair.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as they stepped onto the dance floor and started gently swaying to the music. She couldn't stop smiling as she looked up into his eyes. "Enjoying our first date?" he asked brushing a stray piece of hair away from her face.

"I couldn't think of a better beginning."

"Good." He smiled leaning into her.

"Hey," she backed up slightly, "a lady never kisses on a first date."

He looked back at her in disbelief, "You're kidding right?"

"No." she said honestly.

"Well couldn't you make an exception this once?"

She seemed to think about it for a minute, "Um, nope."

"Aren't we a little past this Kat? It's not like we've never kissed before."

"True." She thought about it for another moment, "I guess I can make an exception this once. Just don't tell my grandmother."

He laughed lightly and leaned into her, this time placing a gentle kiss to her lips. It was cut short however, by the sound of a throat clearing behind them.

Cal shook his head mumbling, with a look of disgust on his face "It's like catching your kids."

"Thanks Cal." Eli said pulling away from Kat. "Congrats by the way. Never thought I'd see the day when you got married again."

"I'm going to choose not to take offence to that, Loker." Cal challenged him stepping into his personal space.

"Actually," Gillian interrupted before the boys could go any farther, "we just came over to talk to Kat for a second."

"Okay?" she said slightly confused.

"We'd like to offer you a job." Cal stated bluntly.

"I thought I already had a job?" she answered honestly, albeit confused.

"Yes, but we heard what happened with your other job. So we'd like to offer you a paying job." Gillian explained.

"Of course I'll take it!" She answered excitedly.

Cal looked at her pointedly, "That means a heavier case load. If you're getting paid I want to know I'm getting my money's worth."

"Certainly, I understand."

"Alright, well we can hash out the details later; we just thought we'd make the offer tonight."

"Thanks guys, I really do appreciate it." Kat called after them as they went back to dancing.

Eli smiled down at her, he eyes shining brightly with excitement. "So what do you think of our first date now?" He asked.

"It's perfect." She beamed pressing her lips to his once more.


End file.
